The invention is based on a method and apparatus for erecting a folding box and folding its closure flaps, as set forth hereinafter. The closure flaps, which initially project from the side walls of the folding box in the same plane as the side walls are folded, uncovering an opening, so that the folding box can be moved with its opening as close as possible to a filling apparatus.
In a method of this type, known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,956,976, a folding box equipped with two side flaps and one cover flap is removed by a first conveyor device from a stack magazine and partly opened, along a first curved segment, with one side flap being folded at a folding deflector. Next, the folding box is taken over by a second conveyor device and on a second curved segment is transferred to a conveyor apparatus of a cartoning machine, in which the second side flap is folded at the same folding deflector. Finally, after the folding box has been opened completely, the cover flap is folded at an additional folding deflector by the insertion of this flap into the conveyor device of the cartoning machine. A disadvantage here is that the known apparatus can manipulate only folding boxes with three flaps. Since the two side tabs are folded in succession when a folding box is conveyed on separate curved segments, and the folding box moreover is transferred from one suction device of a conveyor apparatus to another, the known apparatus has a low output. Moreover, the geometry of the folding deflectors must be adapted to the particular folding box format; that is, for each folding box format, a plurality of folding deflectors must be furnished and exchanged, so that a format change requires long conversion times.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,509,681 also discloses a method for opening a folding box with four flaps, in which the four flaps, on the fully erected folding box, are folded partly by means of stationary folder elements and partly by means of moving folder elements on the rectilinear conveying path of the folding box in a cartoning machine. A disadvantage here is that the length of machines that perform the known method is great, and the drive and control of moving folder elements are complicated and expensive.